Surname Saturday (1): Goetsch (Prussia > Michigan) Saturday, June 19, 2010

Note: 5/26/2016 See more recent post for some updates.

The formal spelling of this Germanic surname is "Go(umlaut)tsch". It is a name that is tough to trace since it is often misspelled or mis-transcribed.

The surname Goetsch first appears on the paternal branch of my family tree with Wilhelm R Goetsch, my 2nd great-grandfather. Wilhelm, a carpenter by trade, was born in "Prussia" in July 1842.

He married Albertine Radde in the old country circa 1868. Together, they sailed on the Columbus, presumably from Bremen, to New York arriving on 1 Sept 1868. From New York, they made their way to Detroit, Michigan.

They joined the Detroit Trinity Lutheran Church and all 13 of their children's births from 1869 - 1895 are found in the church book (on LDS film). Many open questions remain ....

Such as "From what village/region did they come?"
"In what year did Wilhelm die?"
"Where are other Goetsch descendants in the US?"
"How do other researchers work with the state of Michigan to obtain vital records, such as death certificates from the early 1900s?"

Snapshot of Goetsch ancestors

1. Karl Goetsch (b. Prussia 1810s?, d. ?)
i. Wilhelm R. Goetsch (b. Prussia 1842, d. Detroit, MI by 1930)(may have 6 siblings)
+ Albertine Radde (b. Prussia 1849, d. Detroit, MI by 1930)(may have 6 siblings)
a. Ernst Carl Rudolph
b. Rudolph Carl Hermann
c. Wilhelm Carl Christian
d. Eduard Gustav Carl
e. Franz Ferdinand Robert
f. Albertine Wilhelmine Auguste
g. Paul Ferdinand Julius
h. Robert Carl Albert
i. Carl Friedrich Wilhelm
j. Otto
k. Arthur
l. Laura
m. John

3 comments:

HEZ said...

Had a minor breakthrough by combing the RootsWeb Message Boards for Goetsch, Radde, and Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan. These families may have come from the Laurenburg area (Pomerania) of Germany. A different post indicated Gdansk, Poland. ....

There was also one post for Werner Goetsch - a name I've seen in the US Census records as someone else in Detroit with the Goetsch name.

Time will tell.

Steve Still said...

whats interesting is that my ancestor Otto C Goetsch married Augusta H Radde (sister of Albertine). I wonder if Otto and Wilhelm are related? Wonder if Karl (Wilhelms father?) is also Otto's father?

sandiebeach90245@yahoo.com said...

Hi Steve - I have the following confirmed:
1. Mother/Father for Albertine Radde
Wilhelm Karl Radde + Hentietta Pier (1826-1903)

2. Albertine married Wilhelm Goetsch (1868, Pommern)

Supposition from looking at various 2nd hand info:
2. I think Augusta Henrietta Radde (b. abt 14 Sep 1866, Pommern) is Albertine's sister (http://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Augusta_Radde_%281%29 - I emailed the owner of this site and I believe they weren't sure how they came about the info)

3. Otto Goetsch (b. 1865, Detroit); parents Ferdinand Goetsch (1835-1918) and Carolina Greinke (1831-1908)

4. Otto married Augusta 2 Apr 1892 Detroit

5. Wilhelm Goetsch's father is Karl Goetsch.

Questions:
1. What sources do you have?
2. I am trying hard to find the village(s) from which the Goetsch and Radde families - do you have any info here?

thanks for posting a comment!